Vertical file



F. P. READ.

I VERTICAL FiLE.

APPLICATION FILED lULY I, l9l8.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

A TTORNEYJ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK IE. READ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 AUTOMATIC CONTAINER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. V

VERTICAL FILE;

Specification of Letters Patent. i Patented NdV. 1919.

Application filed July 1, 15918. Seria1 No. 242,710.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK P. READ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Vertical Files, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin drawings, which form a part of this speci cation.

In my prior application for record files, filed February 5, 1917, Serial No. 1%,770, I have illustrated a novel vertical file construction in which the container is made to expand automatically in width when it is withdrawn far enough from the cabinet to expose the contents.

The present invention relates to expansible containers generally and to the aforesaid type of container in particular, and has for its object to provide a simple means for contracting the expanded container to permit it to enter its compartment in the cabinet.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of an expansible container arranged in accordance with one form of my invention, a part of the cabinet being shown in section;

Fig. 2 shown in Fig. 1, a part of the cabinet being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a fragment of a cabinet showing a further form of container partly withdrawn and in an expanded condition, a portion of the container being shown in section; and

Fig. a is a top plan view of the front or outer end of the container shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, 1 represents a cabinet having a compartment for a container made up of a bottom wall, 2, and parallel front and rear walls, 3 and 4:. As in my aforesaid application the front and rear walls are connected together by means of parallel bails, 5 and 6, the ends of which are connected to these 1s a side view of the container;

walls near the opposite side edges of the latter and which are so proportioned and positioned that the weight of the contents of the container will spread them apart, as indicated in Fig. 1, when the container is withdrawn from the cabinet. When it is desired to replace the container, the bails must be pressed inwardly within the vertical planes of the side edges of the container. This may conveniently be accomplished by placing the rear or inner arm of each bail at an obtuse angle to the horizontal portion of the bail, as indicated-at 7, instead of at a right angle. Then, when it is desired to return the container to its compartment, the inclined arms, 7, engage with the sides of the compartments and act as cams or wedges by means of which the bails will be swung inwardly out of the way.

The arrangement just described is a simple one but it has the objection that it is necessary to make the containers longer than where the arms at both ends are at right angles to the horizontal portions of the bails. This is for the reason that the horizontal or straight portion of each bail must have a length equal to the length of the records to be filed as otherwise the records could not spread apart at the rear end as far as they do at the front end. To overcome this objection, if it be deemed an objection, an arrangement such as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may be employed. In this arrangement the bails 8 and 9 may take any desired form. The knob,,10, bymeans of which the container is drawn out of its compartment is made rotatable and is provided at its inner end with a pair of cross arms, 11. These cross arms are connected to the bails 8 and 9 by means of connecting rods, 12. These parts do not interfere with the automatic expansion of the container but, when it is desired to return the container into its compartment, all that it is necessary to do is to turn the knob or handle and push the container into the cabinet; the turning of the knob or handle drawing the bails inwardly toward each other so as to bring them within the confines of the planes containing the side edges of the container.

While I have illustrated only two specific forms of my invention, it will of course be understood that the structural details may be widely varied and that while the invention is particularly applicable to the swinging bails illustrated, it may be employed with equal advantage in connection with any expansible containers that have parts which must be pressed inwardly to clear the-edges of the opening into and out of which the container is adapted to be moved. I therefore do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details illustrated and described but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the terms of the definitions of my, invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A container open at the sides, two swinging bails each connected at its ends to the front and rear ends of the container in proximity to the corresponding side edges of the latter, and means for swinging the bails inwardly from a position in which they project outwardly from the container.

2. A container open at the sides, two swinging bails each connected at its ends to the front and rear ends of the container in proximity to the corresponding side edges of the latter, and means for swinging the bails inwardly from a position in which they project outwardly from the container, said means being constructed and arranged to permit the. bails to swing outwardly freely under pressure of the contents of the container. Y s

3. A container open at one side, a swinging bail connected at its ends to the front and rear ends of the container near said open side, and means for swinging the bail 

